Editorial: Expanding scope of Pell grant good for Louisiana

The face of education has been changing in Louisiana, emphasizing career readiness for high school and college graduates. The idea is to make graduates employable, whether they are preparing for white collar or blue collar jobs.

The JOBS Act, introduced by U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-New Orleans, is yet another step toward creating a skilled workforce.

The Jump Start Our Businesses by supporting Students Act is meant to expand the availability of the federal Pell grant program to those seeking short-term job training.

For Louisiana, the timing could not be better. Business and government leaders expect a boom in jobs that require skilled labor, but at the moment, there seems to a shortage of workers with those skills.

If approved, this measure could open the door to better employment for many residents of the state who are now either unemployed or are working in low-paying jobs.

In a recent Daily Advertiser article, Landrieu said expanded Pell grant funding could help people move up to a "livable wage."

Traditionally, the Pell grant is given to low- to moderate-income students attending a full semester - 16 weeks - at two-year community or technical colleges or four-year universities. Unlike student loans, the Pell grant does not have to be paid back.

The new law would offer the grant to students in short-term training for jobs such as nondestructive testing, commercial vehicle operator and instrumentation technician. There are 33 short-term courses offered in Louisiana that don't meet current Pell grant standards - and 14 of them are offered in Lafayette at South Louisiana Community College. Other programs may be offered at industrial or business training sites.

Although many of the training courses don't last as long as an academic semester course, they can be expensive - as much as $1,500 to $2,500 - too much for a minimum wage worker to afford.

Shifting the scope of the Pell grant to include these short-term, career-focused courses would help to lift some Louisiana families out of poverty.

There could be other benefits. The colleges and technical schools offering the courses would see an increase in tuition payments coming in. Former low-wage earners who get better jobs will make more money and thus there would be more tax revenues to governing bodies. And more employers would view Louisiana as a desirable place to locate because the state would have a greater pool of skilled workers.

Expanding the scope of the Pell grant could help advance career education another rung or two.

It could provide greater opportunities for individual wage earners and would be good for the economic well-being of the state.

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Editorial: Expanding scope of Pell grant good for Louisiana

The face of education has been changing in Louisiana, emphasizing career readiness for high school and college graduates. The idea is to make graduates employable, whether they are preparing for